Pages

Friday, November 15, 2013

With every new day, the Dodgers 2014 season gets that much closer. Soon, we will enjoy the splendors of spring. We will again experience the smell of freshly cut Dodger grass, the warm April sunshine and the sounds of a batted ball.

The roar of the crowd will welcome us into the new season and Dodger Blue will encompass the southland. I'm excited about what the new season will hold, and I look forward to visiting my home away from home.

That is why today's announcement, focused on the Dodgers 2014 promotional schedule, gives me great joy. It means that Baseball is around the corner, and in a short few months I'll find myself holding tight to the newest stadium give-away. There will be 11 new bobbleheads (including a Dodger Babe Ruth bobble and a new Hello Kitty bobble), a pennant, an facsimile autographed Baseball, and Dodger inflatable chair. Something special is planned to celebrate Vin Scully's 65th year, and Hello Kitty is back with a vengeance with 2 separate give-aways. There's so much available, it begs one to wonder, "do I have enough room in the house?"

I am hoping fans strongly consider longtime Dodger organist Nancy Bea Hefley for the Fan Vote bobblehead on June 26th. It would be a fitting tribute.

Also of note, the Dodgers will be giving out a Dodger Babe Ruth bobblehead. As you may know, he was a Brooklyn Dodger coach for one season - 1938. This is kind of a mixed blessing. It's kinda cool to have a Ruth Dodger bobble, but when you consider that the Dodgers gave him a false promise of a managerial position in order to take advantage of his gate receipt power, It's kind of a dicky thing to do. We lie to him and treat him like a clown for financial gain, only to yet again take advantage of him to sell tickets 76 years later. Oy Vey!

Here are some other notable give-aways.

Kids’ Yasiel Puig Fathead on April 6 (vs. SF);

Zip-Up Hooded Sweatshirt on April 8 (vs. DET);

Dodger welcome mat on April 19 (vs. ARI);

Fleece Blanket on April 22 (vs. PHI);

Inflatable chair on May 8 (vs. SF);

Old-Timers’ Game and pennant on May 10 (vs. SF);

Mother’s Day clutch and postgame walk around the park on May 11 (vs. SF);

Puig Destroyer, the grindcore gods named after our wily outfielder, is set to release their 2nd album next week. In preparation for this anticipated event, they released two new songs through Pure Volume and Decibel Magazine for fans to listen to. They are called Play the Game (The Right Way) and First to Third, and the new album is called Wait for Spring. Above is the album cover. The band's website is here.

As you may already know, their style of music is an acquired taste. As drummer Riley Breckenridge relayed in an LA Weekly interview:

"He's a freakish prospect that terrorizes opposing pitchers,"
Breckenridge says. "He's insanely raw and incredibly talented. He's got
all of the tools but he doesn't know how to use all of the tools yet. He
plays with a level of energy that is kind of reckless. It fits the
style of music that we wanted to play."

Grindcore is best characterized as extreme metal music - like fast, loud and abrasive - just like Puig.

BTW, I did an interview with Puig Destroyer drummer Riley Breckenridge in June. Check that out here.

This next song is clearly the most controversial. Puig Destroyer figures they might as well say what a lot of folks are thinking when it comes to the controversy that surrounds the way Yasiel Puig plays. Here are the lyrics:

As most of you already know, Andrew McCutchen won the 2013 NL MVP Award yesterday. Although I personally selected Paul Goldschmidt during my voting for the BBA Year-End Awards, I am far from disappointed in McCutchen's selection. He is very deserving, and considering the Pirates ascension into the playoffs for the first time since 1992, he is an apt choice.

That being said, 4 Dodger players received votes from the BBWAA for the MVP Award; which was 1 less than the Cardinals. Considering how poorly the Dodgers started the season, I find this remarkable. In a relatively short timespan we went from being a dog in the league to having 4 candidates for the MVP Award. Wow! We really did witness an incredible season, and it's a year that I will not forget anytime soon.

Overall, Clayton Kershaw came in 7th place with 8 - 3rd place votes. He also received a smattering of votes between 4th to 9th place for a total of 146 points.

Coming in 8th place overall was Hanley Ramirez. He received 1 - 3rd place vote, and had an overall point total of 58.

Yasiel Puig also found his way onto the BBWAA ballot; as he received 3 votes total for 15th place. Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald gave him his 7th place vote. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Bill Plunkett of the OC Register gave him their 8th place votes.

Adrian Gonzalez, who should have found himself on more ballots, came in 19th place with only 2 votes. If it wasn't for AGon keeping us afloat during the bad weeks, we wouldn't have made it to the playoffs. He was our most consistent player all year long.

This past Wednesday, the Dodgers were awarded the 2013 Disability Rights in Sports Award at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Dinner.

The Disability Rights in Sports Award honors an athlete, team, or
organization that represents the inclusion of people with all types of
disabilities in sports. This year the nominating committee selected The
Los Angeles Dodgers for their cooperative measures to ensure that the
new construction at the stadium was accessible, both physically and in
spirit, to visitors with disabilities. The Los Angeles Dodgers’
extraordinary efforts will make the iconic stadium a welcome destination
for all who wish to witness a great team, with a noble history
supporting civil liberties, engage in American’s favorite pastime.

Via Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors, "MLB Amending Posting System Proposal; Agreement May Not Be Reached". This will undoubtedly delay the Dodgers chase for Masahiro Tanaka. I've even read rumblings that a deal may not be reached at all; thereby making a Tanaka signing impossible.

"We are looking more at deepening the organization, to fine-tune it and
get into the season and see what we need," said Kasten. "Having said
that, I'm not ruling anything out. But those people who attach us to
every free agent out there are making it up."

Holy Moly. Via Ben Nicholson-Smith at Sportsnet, Ted Lilly had nerve endings on the side of his neck cauterized to alleviate his pain, and to get back to the Majors. This is an old friend alert. It's highly unlikely the Dodgers will try to re-sign him.

Via a Dodgers press release, "Los Angeles Dodgers named 2013 Major League Baseball "Club Retailer of the Year". This is just another feather in the cap for the new Dodger owners.

"The Los Angeles Dodgers merchandising and retail department has the
support of an incredible front office and loyal fan base, but that does
not stop them from working tirelessly to make the retail experience
seamless for the fan through creative and innovative development," said
Howard Smith, Senior Vice President of Licensing for Major League
Baseball. "The Dodgers have made significant strides in increasing sales
and brand awareness, and following their successful 2013 season it is
clear that the future is bright."

This gave me chills. James Inverne at Time shared an fascinating story related to the day JFK was assassinated. That evening, the Boston Symphony Orchestra was performing a concert as news came along indicating the President's death. The conductor, Erich Leinsdorf, made an announcement to the audience, then proceeded to play the funeral march from Beethoven's 3rd Symphony "Eroica" to honor him. Go to this link for the story and a YouTube video of the announcement, crowd reaction and performance.